Scowl and Gel Pull Out of SXSW in Protest of U.S. Army Sponsorship
Nothing gives your massive, corporate music festival more punk cred than partnering with the U.S. military. Hardcore bands Scowl and Gel have both pulled out of all events at the popular South by Southwest music festival because the fest is being sponsored by the U.S. Army and several defense contractors. What exactly did SXSW think was going to happen when they did that?
Scowl made a statement about the decision on their Instagram:
“Scowl is no longer performing at any of our previously scheduled ‘official’ SXSW showcases.“We came to this decision in protest of the U.S. Army’s sponsorship of SXSW. As well as the involvement of RTX (formerly Raytheon), Collins Aerospace, and BAE Systems whom have direct ties to the manufacturing and supplying of weapons used against Palestinians.
“We refuse to be complicit in the face of genocide in Palestine.
“We refuse to participate in the war machine.
“We will still be performing at our scheduled unofficial showcases.”
Gel made a similar statement on the social media site that will forever be known as Twitter:
“We will be pulling out of all official SXSW shows next week.
“There’s no reason for @sxsw to involve the music of our peers and music at large with the US Army and defense companies that are actively committing and/or complicit in genocide.
“Free Palestine”
According to Stripes.com, the United States Army Futures Command (AFC), which focuses on projects to “modernize” the army, has been located in Austin, Texas, where SXSW is held, since 2018 and has been a sponsor ever since. However, 2024 is the first year that the Army in general has been named a “super sponsor” of the festival. Stripes.com also reports that at least nine artists have pulled out of the event in total, with some of the other artists boycotting the event including Eliza McLamb, Squirrel Flower, Mamalarky, and Shalom.
What’s seemingly more surprising is that the website for the SXSW music festival, which begins on Monday, still lists 66 punk bands that have not pulled out. Who says punk is dead?
